Electronic Arts and the NFL are launching the Madden NFL 19 Championship Series, an event they say will be the “largest competition in its history.”
Select tournaments included in the Championship Series will be broadcast on ESPN’s family of networks, according to the press release. All 32 NFL teams are involved in the Madden NFL 19 Championship Series this year. The NFL is the only North American sports league with all franchises involved in a tournament series, NFL and EA said.
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Madden NFL 19 Championship Series competition begins on Aug. 7 with the launch of the Madden NFL 19 Hall of Fame Edition on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Madden NFL 19’s standard edition launches worldwide on Aug. 10.
The Madden NFL 19 Championship Series will increase Madden tournaments by 60 percent, with “an exponential rise” in live event qualification spots. The new season will continue through late spring in 2019 with a Super Bowl LIII-timed Madden NFL 19 Club Championship with a $700,000 prize pool.
“Last year a record three million players competed in the MC and the Madden NFL 18 Challenge was the number one rated 2017 esports broadcast in North America,” said EA’s competitive gaming division general manager Todd Sitrin. “In continued partnership with the NFL, its 32 clubs and ESPN, we accelerate with more tournaments, an extended season, a record Madden NFL 19 Club Championship prize pool, increased live event qualification spots and top-tier digital and linear programming available on ESPN. We are maximizing the ways to play and watch Madden.”
Online matchmaking, grassroots tournaments, large-scale exhibition matches, and four Major events are all part of the increased competition for the Madden NFL 19 Championship Series. Players will gain points across the season, with the top-tier talent earning a slot in the Madden NFL 19 Bowl. More tournaments will continue to be added, EA said.
Timing and rules are available on the competitive Madden website.
